News

Nine Secrets For Getting Elected

Tue, 08/1/2017

After 71/2 years in public office, Patrick “Kit” Bobko just had too many unique and funny stories to tell. In those 71/2 years, serving as a two-term councilman and mayor of Hermosa Beach, Bobko also learned a number of vital lessons that he knew would come in handy for anyone first considering a run for public office. That’s when he decided to start writing them down.

Kit’s lessons and musings are now featured in the new book, Nine Secrets for Getting Elected. It’s been described as “House of Cards” meets “Parks and Recreation” and it’s available on Amazon in digital format, paperback or hard cover.

Nine Secrets for Getting Elected By Patrick “Kit” Bobko

Suddenly it seems that everyone is ready to dive into politics. Neighbors, people at work, friends; they all want to get involved - so they call you, someone who’s won campaigns and held elected office. Maybe the thing that finally pushed them into the political arena was small, such as another $65 parking ticket.

Or maybe it’s something big, like the daily turmoil churning Washington, D.C. They tell you the national leadership is driving them crazy and they’re ready to do something about it. Or maybe they believe it’s not being nearly aggressive enough and they’re ready to do something about it.

But your time is limited and you can’t organize their campaign for them, raise money, make phone calls, or walk the precincts they’ll need to win. You barely have enough time to deal with your responsibilities.

I’m with you. And that’s why I wrote Nine Secrets For Getting Elected. It’s for all the people who’ve decided it’s time to get involved but aren’t sure how to start.

Nine Secrets For Getting Elected looks at the questions every politician - newbie or veteran - ultimately has to answer:

• Can you raise the money needed to win?

• Are you prepared to deal with the special interests, political factions, and gadflies?

• Have you figured out why exactly you want to run and are you able to explain why constituents should give you their vote?

• How do you gain the name recognition you need to win your race?

• Do you know how many votes you need to win, and do you have a plan to get them?

Nine Secrets For Getting Elected chronicles 7½ years of wonderful and bizarre encounters as an elected official in the sun-splashed Hermosa Beach. It offers a rare chance to pull back the stage curtain and observe how political rabbits are smuggled into the government hat.

Everything in the book actually happened. Only the names have been changed.

The full manuscript for Nine Secrets For Getting Elected is available on Amazon in digital format, paperback or hard cover.

Patrick “Kit” Bobko was a two-term Mayor and City Councilman of Hermosa Beach and a Republican candidate for Congress in 2011. Kit is a graduate of the Air Force Academy and former Captain in the U.S. Air Force. He currently practices law in Los Angeles.